PRE CRUISE. This cruise started with a planned night parked in Dubai, before actually setting sail early afternoon on Day 2. This provided flexibility for arrivals and people had a larger window for embarking than would be found on a normal 7 day cruise. We took a non-stop 14 hour flight from Australia, which had us landing at the sparkly clean and very efficient Dubai international airport at 10am, perfect for our midday check in time for the Brilliance of the Seas. We took a 30 minute taxi from the airport which set us back about 60 dirhams ( USD$16). We were quite pleased with ourselves to have travelled halfway around the world seamlessly, arriving at the terminal just as boarding was starting.

EMBARKATION. There were long lines when we arrived at Port Rashid. We had not printed out bag tags, but were quickly given some by the many porters running around at the front of the terminal. Apparently, there had been a computer glitch which had delayed the start of processing, so there were a few grumbles. Fortunately, we were directed to the suite line, where we were processed quickly. There were stalls set up selling the soft drink packages, wine packages, and a table for those wanting to move around their assigned dining times or tables. After the obligatory sail away snap, we headed up the ramp to start exploring the Brilliance of the Seas.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS. It quickly became apparent that the blend of both passengers and crew on this cruise were very different to other cruises we have taken. Most of those have been out of the USA, so the majority of guests have been North Americans. The passengers on this sailing were largely from the UK and other parts of Europe. There was a broad mix of ages with some families, young couples, middle aged, and older. The crew, we found out, came from all around the world, and represented some 60 countries. The first few that we spoke to were from Turkey, India, Ukraine, and Russia. My instinct with blending so many nationalities had me suspicious that there might be some tensions and difficulties due to cultural differences and languages, however it was very pleasing that everyone got along, did their job, and provided the adequate service where they could, most with nice big smiles. Read more